Korea Times Copyediting Reporter
Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
There's very little that's authentic about North American-style Chinese food. It's typically overly sweet, greasy and often overpriced — plus, the quality can vary wildly from restaurant to restaurant or even within the same place. But it's still one of my most important comfort foods, dammit.
![[RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK] Was that the best chow mein I've had in Korea?](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
Ulsan might not be Korea's most-visited destination, but the southeastern industrial city, Korea's eighth-largest, still has its own charms.
While everyone was fawning over Han Kang's books, during last month's open house sale at Tongbang Books, I picked up a thick hardbound book titled "Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking." Han, the author of "The Vegetarian," had recently won the Nobel Prize in literature, however, another noteworthy development was that UNESCO was considering Korea's jang-making tradition as a new entry for its Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
Trendy hot spots with oddly similar names are popping up all over the nation. You have Yongnidan-gil in central Seoul's Sinyongsan area, Mangnidan-gil in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong and Songnidan-gil in southeastern Seoul's Songpa District, along with at least seven others bearing similar names. Across the nation, there are dozens more, ranging from Haengnidan-gil in Haenggung-dong in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to Gaengnidan-gil at the Gaeksa area in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, and Haeridan-gil near Busan's Haeundae Beach.
Angel House, a shelter for people with disabilities, is raising funds with a benefit show at Lit Lounge in central Seoul's Itaewon on Friday.
Rory Kelly, a British comedian, actor, writer, pub quiz contestant and occasional Korea Times contributor who has lived in Korea since February 2020, has decided it's time to move on.
Ryan O'Toole, an American who goes by Ryno, wrote his first song over 30 years ago. Back in 1993, he created the first version of what would ultimately become "Please," a love song constructed around a blues riff in drop-D tuning.
One of the cornerstones of central Seoul's Gyeongnidan neighborhood is closing. California Kitchen & Craft Pub, or just CALI Kitchen to people whose mouths are already too full, announced last month that its U.S. Thanksgiving dinner would be its last. News of the closure hit the local community hard.
Camarata Music is finishing off its "Three Bs of Germany" concert series of 2024, with its Christmas with Camarata concert on Dec. 7, featuring Bach's "Christmas Oratorio."
Renovations at Blackmarket, a barber shop/event space in central Seoul's multicultural Itaewon, are nearing completion, and its owner, Australian national Beau Walder, is celebrating with a special hip-hop/lo-fi event this weekend.